Looking for a new flipline

I’m looking at a daily driver, not a big tree rig necessarily. Thick lanyard—big hands— happy climber. Surely it would work nicely on big trees, but I rarely remove large trees.
 
I would give a 5/8" 3 strand a try.. Thats what I use on 99% of my jobs. Big removals. Small removals. Pruning...Great hand, rolls like a mofo, many 5/8" rope grabs out there, and it also work great with a prussic set up.
 
rico said:
Either a becket hitch or a large ring and prussic. I ran a becket for over 3 decades.. Sure its slow but, but its also utterly bulletproof....When I get into something really big I pull out my 7/8" and run a beckets. Nothing give a better sense of security and safety.....
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Could you explain how a becket hitch is used to adjust your lanyard? I was not familiar with this knot and when I looked it up it appears to just be a sheet bend in an eye. I have an idea how it would function but I want to make sure I'm on the same page.
 
climbstihl said:
You tie the lanyard directly to the Dring with the becket hitch.View attachment 67867
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All aboard the derail train...

That's what I was picturing. It's just looks sketchy as hell to me but hard to argue with it's effectiveness if that used to be the gold standard setup way back in the day. Does the shape of the D ring make a difference in security? Any issue with it rolling to the front of the D and either binding or slipping? Or loosening when repeatedly slacked? I really like simplicity where if for whatever reason all my mechanical stuff failed, I could still get the job done with just the rope.

If I was told to make a flip line with just the rope I think without knowing the becket hitch I would have passed the tail through the side D and tied a Blake's hitch back to itself in a buckstrap setup. I would feel more secure but that has its own set of limitations.
 
Phil said:
... Does the shape of the D ring make a difference in security? Any issue with it rolling to the front of the D and either binding or slipping? Or loosening when repeatedly slacked?...
Click to expand...

Yes, the shape and size mattered. The best large Ds that tree climbers used were elongated and flattened on the sides. That setup was specifically designed for thick stiff ropes, more often than not, cable cores. It worked very well, reliable and secure.
 
My old foreman and trainer used a variation of the becket and I used it my first few years climbing. Very little gear needed, safe, reliable and allows to use not-so-stiff ropes, I used 16 strand 1/2” and 24 strand 7/16”. Can’t pay out slack while under tension, but adjusts one handed.
A hitch or rope grab or any device is likely miles ahead of it, but still a reliable trick to keep in mind maybe.
51B1A27B-781A-4DBA-AFBA-60D42C7D7573.jpeg
 
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